One of the biggest questions regarding Pittsburgh Steelers’ seventh-round draft pick Eli Heidenreich entering the NFL is what his role will be. Is he a running back, or is he a slot receiver?
He can do both, as shown during his time at the Naval Academy where he set the program’s all-time receiving record, and rushed for more than 1,100 yards.
One thing that isn’t in question though: his hands.
In interviews with Steelers Depot, Navy’s offensive coordinator Drew Cronic and position coach David Cole raved about the one physical trait that separates Heidenreich from others, and has him on a path to carve out a role in the NFL.
Despite not having a true, singular position as a “snipe” at Navy and now entering the NFL as a bonafide offensive weapon, one thing Heidenreich can lean on is his ability to pluck the football out of the air.
“I think he has tremendous hands, tremendously strong hands,” Cole said to Steelers Depot regarding Heidenreich’s hands. “He has really good hands, good ball skills and can track balls, I think, with the best of them.”
As a “snipe” in Navy’s offense, Heidenreich had to wear many hats. He wasn’t a true receiver in the sense of alignment each and every snap, but his ability to make plays on the football downfield stood out in a major way. He showed the ability to make plays in the air, through contact, outside of his frame — pretty much everything an NFL receiver is asked to do.
Despite being undersized for the receiver position, Heidenreich showed up time and time again with big plays in the passing game.
“He has a tremendous ability to track the football, a tremendous ability to finish contested plays, ’cause his hands are so strong,” Cronic said of Heidenreich. “Out of all the kids I’ve ever coached, he’s probably got the strongest just hands as far as he snatches a football and he comes down with it with strength.”
Heidenreich’s eight-reception, 243-yard, three-touchdown performance against Air Force last season was a perfect example of his biggest strength. Multiple times against the Falcons, Heidenreich made jaw-dropping catches.
On the first play of the game, Heidenreich made a one-handed catch down the middle of the field with a defender draped all over him. Later in the game he made another twisting catch along the sideline, toe-tapping his feet inbounds, showing off his body control, his ability to track the football, and the strength in his hands at the catch point.
Late in the season against Army, his game-winning touchdown on a post route showed off Heidenreich’s strength at the catch point, too.
“You just have to somehow get the ball near him and there’s a good chance he’ll make a play. He came down with one versus Memphis this year where Blake [Horvath] just throws it up for him somehow. He’s got a guy draped all over him and he comes down with it,” Cronic said of Heidenreich’s ability to make plays. “That’s what I think about when I think about him, is that if you just give him a chance, there’s a high probability that he ends up with that football. And that’s God-given. You can practice and put yourself in those situations, get more and more comfortable and confident.
“But the dude just has a way of making plays. He gets his body in position, he has unbelievable body control. He tracks the football and somehow his hand strength, he’s able to come down with it.”
While the debate will rage on regarding what position Heidenreich will be in the NFL, his ability make plays in a dual-threat role as a “snipe” for the Midshipmen will help him. That transition to the NFL won’t be as difficult as many try to project it otherwise.
Yes, the Midshipmen play a form of the Wing-T and a power spread. But in his “snipe” role Heidenreich was doing a lot of the same things NFL plays are doing.
“He’s done a lot of what is going to already translate into the NFL game. He’s ran power, he’s ran inside zone. You see NFL teams nowadays running jet sweep as well, too,” Cole said. “So, a lot of people try to just still lump us into the Service Academies of world and what the Naval Academy was traditionally once was and we’re really not that as much as people want to say we are. Just because we do have a component of running some triple option as well, too.
“So I really believe that Eli is ready and more suited than what people think. It’s just him now being able to hone in on one position and becoming great at it.”
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